Fire-extinguisher.



E. s. SAVAGE. l FIRE EXTINGUISHER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB- 26.1914.

1,230,435. Patented June 19,7191?.

llimvmm 8' AW t m UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEroE.

EDWARD S. SAVAGE, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

FIRE-EXTINGUISHEE.

' Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 19, 1917.

Application mea February 2s, 1914. serial No. 821,196.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD S. SAVAGE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-EX- tinguishers, of which the following is a; specification.

This invention relates to tire-extinguishers of the type in which a hand-operated pump or syringe is associated with a reservoir which contains a fire-extinguishing liquid. In devices of this kind it is common to provide the reservoir with a fixed dischargenozzle, the reservoir being held in one hand,

while the pump is worked with the other and being held at the proper angle to cause the liquid to be discharged in the required direction. In such an arrangement, owing to the diiierent positions in which the reservoir may be held when in use, automatic arrangements are necessary to permit, the

liquid to be drained at all times from. the

part of the reservoir which may happen to be lowest, and where the device as a whole is so formed and constructed that the reservoir may be held in all positions when in use, the means in question are necessarily complicated, and involve the use of swinging members liable to derangement.

One object of the present invention is to provide for the simplification of the means for controlling the How of fluid from the reservoir, and to this end I employ, in connection with the pump by which the liquid is discharged, a manual operating-member or handle so formed, and so'connected with the reservoir, that a certain more or less definite position of the reservoir is assured, When this handle is used in the most convenient and natural position. In this manner I eliminate the necessity of provision for accommodating the device to more than one position of the reservoir with respect to its longitudinal axis.

Another object of the invention is to provide simple and eifective meins for sealing end I employ a reservoir divided into two that it may be employed to expel liquid from these chambers alternately.

Other objects 0f the invention, and the features of construction by which they are attained, will be hereinafter set forth in connection with the description of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the accompanyingdrawings Figure l is a longitudinal section of a fire-extinguisher embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2 2 in Fig. l; and l Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section, showing the invention embodied in a modified form.

The fire-extinguisher illustrated in Figs. l and 2 comprises a sheet-metal reservoir 5, provided at one end with a filling-opening normally closed by a screw-plug 6, through which it may be iilled with fire-extinguishing liquid, and provided at the opposite end with a discharge-nozzle 7. The liquid is discharged from the reservoir by means of a pump comprising a cylinder 8 inclosed within the reservoir, a piston 9 within the cylinder, and a piston-rod 10 by which the'piston is actuated. The cylinder terminates, at one end, in a stutling-box 11, which projects from the end of the reservoir, and the piston-rod extends through this stuiing-box, and is provided, at its outer end, with ahandle 12 by which it may be reciprocated.

` As shown in Fig. 2, the piston-rod l0 is hexagonal in section, and the opening in the stufiing-box ll through which it passes is of similar form. Accordingly, rotation of the -vertical position or in some inclined position lying in, or approximately in, the vertical plane of the arm andl forearm of the user. Accordingly it will be apparent that, owing to the non-rotative connections between the handle 12 and the reservoir, the latter, whether held with its length horizontal, or inclined in either direction to discharge a stream at an upward or downward inclination, will naturally be held in some position such that there are two points, near its respective ends and one side-wall, lying in the plane in which the handle extends, of which points one or the other or both will always be at substantially the lowest part of the reservoir, from which its entire contents can be drained. For this reason it is unnecessary, owing to the use of the novel arrangement of the handle and the pump just described, to provide for drainage from the reservoir except at these two predetermined points. The pistol-grip could, of course, be held in inverted position in the hand, but this would be awkward and unnatural, and as a further means to prevent such use l employ a detent mechanism adapted for convenient operation only when the handle is held in the normal manner. A detent 13 is pivoted upon the handle 12 and engages a shoulder on the stufl'ing-box 11, so as normally to hold the piston-rod in its innermost position. This detent is provided with a trigger 14, normally pressed outwardly by a spring 15. When the apparatus is to be used the user must first press the trigger with the thumb, so as to release the handle and permit the pump to be operated. Since this trigger cannot be conveniently operated except when the handle is heldmin the natural position in the hand, this constitutes a further safe-guard against careless attempts to use the extinguisher in a position other than that intended.

The flow of fluid from the reservoir to the pump, and thence to the nozzle, is controlled by valves contained in two valvecasings 16 and 17 fixed to the opposite ends of the pump-cylinder. These casings are provided, respectively, with inlet-openings 18 and 19, which are so located that one or the other of them will be approximately at y the lowermost portion ofl the reservoir in either of the inclinations in which the reser- Voir may befheld when in use. The inux through these openings is controlled by two valves 2O and 21, which are connected by a rod 22, passing through a tube 63 which connects the valve-casings. The valves 20 and 21 engage their seats in opposite directions, and are controlled, by gravity and by the connection between them, in such a manner that in either inclination of the reservoir the lower one of these valves is open and the upper one is closed, and accordingly a free passage is opened Jfor the influx of liquid through the lower valve, while the admission of air through .the upper valve is prevented.

After passing through one or another of the valves 2O and 21, the fluid is drawn through passages 23 and 24 controlled by check-Valves 25 and 35, respectively, and then passes from one or another of these passages to the corresponding end of the pump-cylinder. If, for example, the piston-rod be drawn outwardly when the reser- Voir is ,slanted with the nozzle-end downward, the liquid will pass, through the inletopening 18 and the passage 23, into the lower end of the pump-cylinder.- With the piston moving in the same direction, if the reservoir be tilted in the opposite direction, the fluid. will be drawn in through the opening 19, and will pass the then open valve 21, and will then be drawn, through the tube 63, to the check-valve 25 and the passage 23, and thence into the end of the pump-cylinder. 1t will, accordingly, be apparent that an out-stroke of the piston will fill the pump-cylinder whichever way the reservoir may be tilted, and through the analogous arrangements of valves and passages of the two ends of the pump-cylinder, the same is true of an iii-stroke of the piston.

After the pump-cylinder has been filled as, for example,- by an out-stroke of the pist0n-rod and piston, the return-stroke of these parts causes the liquid to be expelled from the cylinder. The liquid in this case will pass back through the passage 23, and through a branch-passage 26 to a check-valve 27, and thence, through a passage 28, to a tube 29 which connects the valve-casings. F rom the tube 29 the liquid is discharged into a chamber 30, and thence, through a tube 31, to the discharge-nozzle 7, by which it is directed to the point of application. 0n the opposite stroke of the pump-piston the liquid is discharged through the passage 24, and through av branch-passage 32 to a check- Valve 33, and thence, through openings 34,-

into the tube 29, vfrom which it fore into the chamber 30.

1n the drawings the tube 31 is shown as closed at its inner end by a valve 36. rThis valve is for the purpose of preventing the escape of liquid or vapor when the fire-extinguisher is not in use. It is held to its seat upon the end of the tube by a spring 37 coiled around a stem projecting outwardly from the Valve through the end of the reservoir. Leakage of liquid around the 'stem is prevented by a diaphragm 39 fixed to the valve-stem, and this diaphragm also serves to cause the valve to be moved from its seat when fluid is forced into the chamber 30. The pressure of this fluid, acting through the diaphragm, readily overcomes the pressure of the spring 37, thus opening the valve and permitting the fluid to pass through the tube 31.

Since the spring 37 is necessarily weak, in order that it may not oppose too great resistance to the escape of liquidfrom the chamber 30, it may be preferable to employ means for subjecting the valve 3G to additional pressure, to hold it firmly to its seat when the apparatus is not in use. For this purpose I employ a spring' 40, carried by the handle 12in such a position that when passes as bethe handle is retained in its normal position,

against the valve-stem 38, so as to force the valve firmly against its seat.

The stuffing-box 11 is adapted to prevent the escape of liquid from-the pump when in use, but to prevent any. possibility of leakage of liquid or vapor at this point, I prefer to employ an additional device in the form of a spring-pressed valve 41, slidingly mounted on the piston-rod in such a position that it is held against a seat on the end of the stuiing-box, as shown in Fig. 1, when the handle is in its normal inoperative position.

It is necessary to provide the filling-plug.

6 with an air-inlet opening to admit air as the liquid is withdrawn from the reservoir. For this purpose I employ a transverse perforation 42, communicating with a central perforation which is closed against the escape of liquid by a spring-pressed checkvalve 43. This valve yields readily to permit the entrance of air.

As before mentioned, it may sometimes be desirable to employ two different liquids in the same {ire-extinguisher. For example, it has been found that carbon tetra-chlorid is an effective material for extinguishing burning gasolene or fires in electric apparatus, while water or aqueous solutions are more effective in the case of burning wood, shavings and the like. In Fig. 3, therefore, I have illustrated my invention in a form in which it is adapted to contain two kinds of liquid, and to discharge these liquids alternately at alternate strokes ofthe pump, so that the fire-extinguisher is adapted electually to quench fires of all kinds. For this purpose the reservoir 45 is divided by a central partition 45, so as toform two separate chambers. The upper chamber is filled through a filling-opening (not shown), similar to that shown in Fig. 1, while the lower chamber is filled through a second filling-opening closed by a plug 46, and

communicating with the lower chamber through a tube 47.

The means for lcontrolling the influx of liquid to the pump are generally similar to those shown in Fig. 1, except that each end of the pump-cylinder is connected with only one of the respective chambers in the reservoir, and is arranged to draw liquid from such chamber regardless of the longitudinal inclination of the extinguisher. In this case the influx through the inlet-passage 24, for example, is controlled by two gravity-controlled valves 51 and 52, connected by a rod 55, and analogous in their operation to the valves 2O and 21 above described. The valve 52, however, controls the flow throughI a valve-casing 49 fixed-on a tube. 48 projecting from the valve-casing 17, and provided with an inlet-opening 50 so located as to draw liquid from the bottom of the righthand chamber when the nozzle-end of the extinguisher is tilted downwardly, while liquid is drawn from the opposite end of the chamber, through the opening 19, when the extinguisher is tilted in the opposite direction. A similar construction is employed in connection with the opposite end of the pump.

Fig. 3 shows also an alternative arrangement of the trigger by which the pumpmechanism is released. In this case the trig- .'15

' ings, but it may 'be embodied in various other forms within the nature of the invention, as it is defined in the following claims.

I claim 1. A fire-extinguisher having, in combination, an elongated reservoir; a pump carried by the reservoir and having'a member 90 movable longitudinally of the reservoir; a handle, for actuating the movable pumpmember, provided with a grip-member arranged transversely to the length of the reservoir, at the rear end thereof; a discharge-nozzle conveniently located with reference to the handle; means for preventing rotation of the handle with respect-to the reservoir; and an outlet-conduit, for supplying fluid to the discharge-nozzle, extend- 100. ing from points near the ends of the reservoir and adjacent the parts of the side-wall thereof which are substantially lowermost when the fire extinguisher is in position such that the grip-member is held with its length extending in a vertical plane parallel with the length of the reservoir, and operable throughout at least 180 of the possible positions of the grip-member in said plane.

2. A fire-extinguisher having, in combination, an elongated reservoir; a pump carried by the reservoir and having a member movable longitudinally of the reservoir; a handle, for actuatin the movable pumpmember, provided w1th a grip-member ar- 115 ranged transversely to the length of the reservoir at the rear end thereof; a discharge-nozzle convenientlylocated with reference to the handle; means for preventing rotation of the handle -with respect to the 1.20

reservoir; an outlet-conduit, for supplying fluid to the discharge-nozzle, extending from points near the ends of the reservoir and adjacent the parts of the side-wall thereof which are substantially lowermost when the {ire-extinguisher is in a position such that the grip-member is held with its length extending in a vertical plane parallel with the length of the reservoir, and oper.

able throughout at least of the possible lao positions of the grip-member in said plane; means for retaining the handle normallyan position adjacent the end of the reservoir;

and a trigger, for releasing the retaining-- cated with reference to the handle; and an outlet-conduit, for supplying iiuid to the discharge-nozzle, extending from a point near an end of the reservoir and adjacent a part of the side-wall thereof which is substantially lowermost when the handle is held in a natural position in the hand.v

4. A tire-extinguisher having, in combination, a liquid-reservoir provided with a discharge-orifice and an outlet-passage lead,- in vto said orifice; a pump-cylinder inclosed within the reservoir; a piston in said cylinder; a piston-rod, for actuating the piston, extending outwardly at one end of the reservoir; means for retaining the piston-rod normally in its innermost position; a valve carried by the reservoir, controlling said outlet-passage controlled by a spring that normally closes it and having a part externally accessible at the end of the reservoir through which the piston-rod projects, said part being located at one side of the piston-rod; and a laterally-projecting member carried by the piston-rod and adapted to engage said part of the valve and supplement the action of the sprin to hold the valve upon its seat when the piston-rod is in its normal innermost position.

5. A {ire-extinguisher having, in combination, a liquid-reservoir provided with a discharge-orifice and an outlet-passage leading thereto, the reservoir being divided into two chambers and provided with filling-openingsv through which said chambers may be separately filled with different liquids; and a manually-operable pump connected with said chambers of the reservoir, and adapted to force liquid therefrom alternatively.

6. A fire-extinguisher having, in combination, a liquid-reservoir provided with a discharge-orifice and an outlet-passage leading thereto, the reservoir being divided into two chambers and provided with filling-openings through which said chambers may be.

separately lled with different liquids; and a manually-operable pump connected with said chambers at opposite ends of the pumpcylinder, and adapted to force liquid thereduring opposite strokes of .ber to the discharge-orifice; a spring for normally closing said valve; and a diaphragm located in said intermediate chamber and fixed to the valve adapted to open the valve under liquid pressure on either stroke of the pump.

8. A {ire-extinguisher having, in combination, a liquid-reservoir provided with a discharge oriice and an outlet-passage, a pump-cylinder; a piston in said cylinder; a piston-rod for actuating the piston extending outwardly at one end of the reservoir; means for retaining the piston-rod in its innermost position; a chamber between the pump-cylinder and the outlet passage, said intermediate chamber having communication with both ends of the pump-cylinder; a valve normally adapted to close the passage leading from the chamber to the dischargeoriiice, having a part externally accessible at the end of the reservoir throu h which the piston-rod projects, said part eing located at one side of the piston-rod; and a laterally-projecting member carried by the' piston-rod and adapted to engage said part of the valve to hold the valve upon its seat whenthe piston-rod is in its innermost position.

9. ln a syringe, the combination with a reservoir having an outlet, of a piston chamber in the reservoir having intake ports adjacent opposite ends and discharge ports adjacent opposite ends connected to the disycharge outlet bf the reservoir; a piston to reciprocate in said chamber; and an intake tube extending longitudinally of the reservoir with its ends adjacent the side and opposite ends of the reservoir connected to the; intakes of the piston chamber.

10. ln a syringe, the combination with a reservoir, having an outlet, of a piston chamber in the reservoir having intake ports adjacent opposite ends and discharge ports adjacent opposite ends connected to the outlet of the reservolr; a piston to reciprocate in said chamberg'said piston chamber and piston being located adjacent the' wall of the reservoir; and a tube connected to the intake ports of the piston chamber extending parallel with the piston chamber with its ends adjacent the side of the reservoir opposite the piston chamber and at opposite ends of, the reservoir, substantially as and for the purpose specied,

11. In a syringe, the combination with a. reservoir having an outlet, of a piston chamber arranged in said reservoir With its longitudinal axis parallel to and at one side of the longitudinal axis of the reservoir, said piston chamber having opposite ends connected to the outlet of the reservoir; a piston to reciprocate in said chamber; and an intake tube extending longitudinally of the 10 reservoir with its ends adjacent to the opposite ends of the reservoir, said intake tube being connected to the opposite ends of the piston chamber and being arranged on that side of the longitudinal axis of the reservoir opposite the piston chamber.

EDWARD S. SAVAGE.

Witnesses:

' FARNUM F. DORSEY,

D. GURNEE. 

